Built in 1929, Chicago Stadium was the crowning achievement of local sports promoter Paddy Harmon. The largest sports arena in the world when it was built, the stadium was completed at a total cost of $9.5 million. The "Madhouse on Madison" witnessed an active 65-year reign as the city's greatest auditorium. Home to both the Chicago Blackhawks and the Chicago Bulls, the stadium's attendance eclipsed that of others around the nation as it hosted numerous boxing matches, the first playoff game of the National Football League, rodeo competitions, and concerts (featuring Frank Sinatra, Elvis...

At the turn of the 20th century, Chicago was home to the largest Swedish population of any city in the world outside of Stockholm. In the 1920s, Sweden experienced an economic depression and population growth that sparked another rush of Swedish immigration to America and Chicago, where they settled in large numbers in Andersonville and North Park. Chicago has been home to many famous and influential Swedes, including writers Carl Sandburg and Nelson Algren, and builder and developer Andrew Lanquist, who gave us both Wrigley Field and the Wrigley Building. Tour Chicagos Swedish heritage, from...

Wrigley Field is the second oldest ballpark currently in use in the major leagues, but it ranks first in the hearts of Cubs fans. Rooting for the home team from the corner of Clark and Addison to small towns and city streets across the country, generations of Cubs' fans have made that summer pilgrimage to the home of Gabby Hartnett's "Homer in the gloamin'" that clinched the 1938 pennant, Hack Wilson's record 190 RBI season, Ernie Banks' 500th career home run, Sammy Sosa's 60 plus home run seasons, and Kerry Wood's 20-strikeout masterpiece. It was originally built as Wheeghman Park in 1914 to...

Located on scenic Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Soldier Field was designed in 1919 and opened on October 9, 1924, as Municipal Grant Park Stadium. The stadium--modeled in the Greco-Roman architectural tradition with classic Doric colonnades--was designed by the Chicago architecture firm Holabird and Roche as a memorial to American soldiers who died in World War I and previous wars. Soldier Field has been the home of the Chicago Bears team since 1971; it served equally as a civic and athletic venue throughout the early and middle 20th century. It played host to the Army-Navy game in 1926, the...